Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land

Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites--oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others--work in combination with Israeli public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported.

Through the voices of scholars, media critics, peace activists, religious figures, and Middle East experts, Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land carefully analyzes and explains how--through the use of language, framing and context--the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media, and Israeli colonization of the occupied terrorities appears to be a defensive move rather than an offensive one. The documentary also explores the ways that U.S. journalists, for reasons ranging from intimidation to a lack of thorough investigation, have become complicit in carrying out Israel's PR campaign. At its core, the documentary raises questions about the ethics and role of journalism, and the relationship between media and politics.

Film Festivals
Official Selection, 2008 One World Berlin Film Festival
Official Selection, 2008 PSBT International Film Festival and
Forum
Official Selection, 2008 Adelaide Festival of Arts
Official Selection, 2004 Seattle Arab & Iranian Film
Festival
Official Selection, 2004 Copenhagen International Documentary Film
Festival
Official Selection, 2004 Tempo Documentary Film Festival

"I cannot recommend this documentary too highly. It should be
required viewing for every student, for every taxpayer who is
subsidizing the Israeli military machine, for every citizen in the
United States."
- Robert McChesney | University of Illinois

"Painstakingly stripping away the myths and inaccuracies regularly
passed off as truth by the U.S. media, this film not only reveals
the motivations and methods of those responsible for skewing the
picture, but also manages to present the most concise and accurate
account of the history and implications of the Israeli/Palestinian
conflict and the role that the U.S. has played in the continuation
of that conflict that I have seen... This is a very important piece
of work that challenges the viewer to think twice before accepting
a version of the world that owes more to the special interests of a
powerful elite than to any notion of freedom of the press."
- Donna Baillie | Director, Women in Black and Secret
Hebron: The School Run

"The work is brilliant... touching the heart and stimulating the
mind. The script, visuals, and editing are superb -- never have I
been so moved by a single film."
- Jack G. Shaheen | Author, Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood
Vilifies a People

"...hands down one of the best films I've seen on American media
and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict."
- Laila Al Qatami | American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

"...essential viewing for all who care about human rights, for all
American taxpayers, and especially for journalists and
editors."
- Mazin Quemsiyeh, M.D. | Al-Awda Right of Return Coalition

"A really clear presentation of the problems of media and Middle
East conflict. A superlative film."
- Gila Svirsky | Coalition of Women for Just Peace, Israel

"Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land is the best,
least biased presentation we have of all the issues involved. A
must-see documentary."
- Chalmers Johnson | Author, Sorrows of Empire

"I'm just blown away by the sheer scope of it, the depth, the clear
analysis."
- Amir Terkel | Filmmaker, Other Voices from Israel and
Palestine

"While I have always understood that the war here is over words and
images, as much as it is over land and bones there, the film really
enlightened me about the complexity and profundity of this form of
colonization of the mind...[it] will clearly be pivotal in this
movement and a priceless educational tool."
- Cecilie Surasky | Jewish Voice for Peace

"Superbly done!"
- Ahmed Bouzid | Palestine Media Watch

"...Powerful and courageous. ...It showed me how my understanding
of the struggles in the Middle East has been skewed by most of our
mainstream media. I saw how coverage of the Israeli/Palestinian
problem is brilliantly controlled and shaped. I pride myself in
understanding how the media works... and I find I've been
bamboozled. Watching this documentary is a painful first step to
finding a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. If you are a
friend of Israel, you must watch Peace, Propaganda, and the
Promised Land."
- Rick Steves | Travel Guidebook Author | TV and Radio Travel Show
Host